The New Student
by usagisnape
Summary: Chapter 11 New! Something happens! Finally! But not much.
1. 1

Hermione was happily teaching transfiguration in a small boarding school that had obviously been based on Hogwarts. They had the four houses, the classes ran the same, they even had a dark brooding potions master, he was no Snape though. Hermione grinned to herself, few were. She never got over her crush, but then again she had never gotten over her crush on Harry either. Something about those men with black hair and secrets. She and Harry were still friends, he had surprised everyone and not gone out for quidditch, or become an auror, he didn't even work for the ministry. He had become a medi-wizard and worked in Kiddit, the town close to Halliburton, Hermione's school. He was the Medi-wizard for the school as well. The school was too small and couldn't afford an on-staff medi-wizard so Harry apparated in when he was needed. He was quite good, at least in Hermione's opinion. She would never go after Harry, he had made his lifestyle decision, and she was his best friend. Ron had run screaming when he found out the great Potter Secret. Hermione was just slightly heart broken, but she would never not be his friend for his taste in companions. 'I wonder if Snape is gay? That would just round out my life wouldn't it. Every guy I had ever had a crush on turns out to be gay. Just my luck.' The new school year was starting and her first class of the day were third year students, she new most of them, every year they would have a few new ones though. They seemed to be the school that most students had as a last resort. They would go through every other school, getting kicked out or leaving for one reason or another, and eventually they would end up at Halliburton. So Hermione knew that she would have some new ones to whip into shape. She had become Mcgonagall. The super strict teacher that no one dared cross, not even here at the misfit school. The academics of the school had much to be desired but they had a hell of a quidditch team. As good as gryffindor was, they wouldn't have lasted five minutes with Halliburton. They really didn't play a lot of intra- house matches, but they kicked butt every year against other schools. Unfortunately they had never gotten to play Hogwarts, it seemed Dumbledore was fine with keeping it in Hogwarts. Hermione had been forced into caring about the team, now she actually enjoyed going to games, not to mention the away games were the only time that she got out of the school. Harry had offered to coach in the afternoons until he saw the players, even the 13 year olds were a foot taller than him, and he was no shorty. Why did it seem the big kids were always the problem kids. They were all afraid of "Danger Granger", a nick-name she earned when she decked the charms teacher for insulting Harry. She was conservative and patient, understanding and compassionate, but she had a temper that could rival the Irish quidditch team beaters.

Hermione looked up at the clock, it read; time for next class. She finished preparing, walked to her door and stepped into the hallway. This was not a magic realm thing to do but she remembered her teachers from the muggle realm doing it and it had always made her feel good, so she carried it over into the wizarding world. A number of other teachers had picked it up and it cut down on the noise in the hall. She saw all the familiar faces, some said hi, some even came in for a hug. She was use to this, all though she was strict, she liked to have fun. The kids knew she cared about them. The last of the people dragging into class were the new students. They always had the same looks on their faces, bewilderment, shame or smug cockiness, but not the good kind. Not the good I know everything cockiness. 'Not the Gryffindor-Miss-know-it-all attitude.' Hermione smiled to herself. Snape never had let that go. She continually raised her hand in his class just to annoy him. Hermione had her mean streak, she just didn't let a lot of people see it. Then in the back of the line came a familiar face, not someone she knew, just a familiar face, with a very familiar holier-than thou look. She stared at the boy and he stared right back. She couldn't place it but she was sure she knew him, or at least the person he looked like. 

She went to her desk, "Who has the attendance sheet from the office?" A young girl with her hair in braids and wearing mostly muggle clothes stood up.

"I have it Ms. Granger. Professor Price asked me to bring it to you."

"Thank you Ashea. Now I would like to begin by calling role, This will be the only day I do this, from now on it will be done magically, but I like to do it on the first day to help me get to know you. So lets start." Hermione began calling the names out and each student stood said hello and told something about themselves. This was the traditional way to begin class in Hermione's room. She had done this for a great many years. After everyone was done they would have a contest to see who could remember the most, Hermione even participated. The most anyone had ever remembered was ten. She was listening intently, convinced she could break the record when she came to a name that made her forget all the other names. "Samuel Snape?!" She looked over at the familiar face realizing why it was so familiar and dropped her jaw when he spoke. The same liquid barbed-wire voice came out that she had dreamed about for so many years and it said,

"I am Samuel Snape and my father taught Ms. Granger."


	2. 2

Of course everyone in class remembered Samuel Snapes name and his little bit of information. They all stood up to give their recitations of the information and they all made a big deal out of saying "His dad taught you Ms. Granger." They were horrible terrible children and Hermione was ready to hex them all into oblivion. Nothing like having the sing-song voices of twenty pubescent kids to remind you that you had once been in their very situation, and make you feel like you are there again. She couldn't help but look at him through class. When everyone was silently working she would sneak glances at him. When he would speak she would close her eyes and remember the other voice. This went on for weeks. He seemed to make it a point to sit close to her and if he had a question he would come up to the desk and loom over her in a possessive way. When he finished early on his work, and he almost always did, they would talk. Talking to him was like having a discussion with an adult, he didn't behave like a 13 year-old, he already had his entire life mapped out. He had come to Halliburton because there were too many people who accused him of getting special treatment at Hogwarts. It was amazing how much alike he and his father were. It was a test day, and the class had two hours to finish their tests. Samuel finished in thirty minutes, Hermione put up a silence charm so they could talk. She finally ventured up the courage to ask about his past.

"So where were you when I was at Hogwarts, you were obviously born." Samuel sighed deeply, looked down at his shoes in a rare moment of uncertainty then began to spill his guts.

"I was still living with my mom then. She was great, but she and dad never got along very well. She hated the dungeons and Hogwarts. She wanted me to go to Durmstraung (sp?) but dad wouldn't hear it. Then she died in the battle when I was six.

I was there when you and dad stood up against Voldemort, I was inside Hogwarts looking out the window. Mom had showed up with me standing with Voldemort and Dad snuck me away when she was occupied. He was so mad at her, said it would have been better to leave home alone than to bring me to a battlefield. Mom didn't think there would be any battle. She was convinced that Hogwarts would lay down and give in, but you didn't. I watched the battle from a window in Dad's rooms, I remember seeing you, Dad Dumbledore and Potter circling Voldemort. Then he was gone. Dad tried to explain everything to me but I was only six, it was difficult. I don't know how my Mom died, but I know she was on the wrong side, he explained it all to me. He said he even tried to save her, but I know mom and she thought that Voldemort was always right. She didn't know about dad's spying, if she had she would've told him, Voldemort that is. I've been with dad ever since, this is the first time he has let me out of the castle since that day. There were times when he allowed me to sit in his office while he taught, but I had to be quiet and not touch anything, I liked going to Dumbledore's office better, he has things to do." He smiled up at Hermione who was somewhat flabbergasted at the monologue from the rather quiet boy. "Thanks Miss Granger, I feel much better. You know Dad will kill me for telling you this, but he sent me here because of you. He wanted me to have good teachers, he said you would be one of the best, and he was right." Hermione looked at the time and realized that class should have been dismissed five minutes earlier. 

"Class dismissed!" The students were a little taken aback by the suddenness of the announcement but got up and hurried out the door. Samuel grabbed his stuff and hurried too but not before looking back over his shoulder and throwing her a smile. 'I wonder if Severus was like that when he was that age? So he thinks I would be one of the best teachers, that's interesting. The thought of Snape as a single Dad is too weird. I Have to tell Harry.'  
  


"You're joking, you have a Snape in your class? Is he related?"

"It's his son."

"That can't possibly be, that would mean he had him when we in school."

"Well he didn't live with him then, his mom died in the final battle. She must have been the woman we were wondering about with Voldemort. You know the tall brunette."

"Yeah, I remember her." Harry's face fell a little.

" I'm guessing one of us killed her,"

"Actually, I don't remember, she was there one minute and the next she was dead. I don't remember any curses or anything, Unfortunately that entire day is burned into my memory." Harry reached up and rubbed at his head. "I remember every face and curse."

"Well whatever happened the boy is now motherless and Snape's son. It's too weird,"

"Hope you don't have to have a parent teacher conference."

"Ooo, Harry Potter you are not even funny. If I do I'll be sure to be sick that day so that they have to meet me with you around." Hermione smirked in her glass. Harry just shot her a you-wouldn't-dare look.

"I need to get back. Papers to grade, people to fail and all that rubbish." She leaned in and kissed Harry's cheek, staying a second too long. She pulled away reluctantly. "I really need to get laid. You don't think you could oblige me just this once? Nevermind, don't answer that." Harry laughed and Hermione disappeared.

  
  


Hermione sat in her small apartment on campus. She had never bothered with anywhere else to live, when she was out of school she went to her parents or Harry's, occasionally she would get an invite from the Burrow. Basically she didn't have a real home of her own. She left Hogwarts and went straight to the college and the dorms, then she went directly into graduate studies (A/N- I have no idea what it is called in England) where she finally rid herself of the annoying roommate situation. Then it was straight to work at Halliburton. She didn't mind though. It made her feel some what liberated. Plus she had the added advantage of never having to pay rent. She looked about the space, she didn't have very many personal items, a few pictures, a lot of books and a frozen miniature Crookshanks. Actually it was Crookshanks, she had frozen him with a taxidermy spell and shrunk him to a small portable size. The spell was meant to freeze him in the state he was in until she wanted to unfreeze him. She was looking for a cure for the magical version of feline leukemia. When she had the cure, she would unfreeze him and fix him up. He sat on a shelf above her bed, the normal looking, not-four-poster bed. That didn't have drapes or anything else special about it. She had thought about transfiguring it, that was her specialty after all, but it seemed so pointless. No one ever saw her rooms anyway. She also had a nightstand and dresser but her favorite part of the room was the enchanted closet. Harry had told her that it was similar to a trunk that the fake Moody had used back in their fourth year. It had different knobs up and down one side, depending on which knob she turned she got a different place. One was a walk in closet, one she had turned into a computer room, 'thank goodness we can have electronics here', One was a kitchenette, a couple were empty and the last one was for the bathroom. This was the one place where she had let her talents be shown. She had possibly the most beautiful elaborate bathroom since, well Hogwarts. It had been simply functional when she moved in, now it was amazing. She walked in and immediately began disrobing. She touched a button and the bath began to fill up, scents and bubbles poured forth into a heavenly tub that was big enough for ten, not to mention two. She didn't know why she allowed herself this luxury, but for some reason it didn't seem like a waste. She slipped inside and laid her head back, enjoying the relaxed feeling that came over her. 'I wonder if Severus takes baths?' She was really beginning to get comfortable when she heard a noise. She sat up in the bath, luckily still covered, to see Samuel leaning against the door frame watching her. The look on his face gave her the queerest feeling that he had done this before. He sauntered over to the edge of the tub and sat down he then placed his hand in the water and swirled it around. Hermione was beginning to get furious. What started off as surprise and moved into mild irritation was quickly escalating into anger. He gave her a look she was all to familiar with, one she had seen his father give her when he thought she was being a 'stupid girl'. She assumed it meant something a little different this time. He stood and began to remove his outer robes.

"Hermione would you mind if I joined you for a bath?" 

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A/N- okay, I'm either going to go for extreme anger and outrage, or manipulative, I'll teach him a lesson kind thing. Which one? Obviously she is NOT going to sleep with this kid, that's not an option but how would Hermione handle this? 


	3. 3

A/N: Well, everyone had a different idea of how to handle the situation so I guess I'm on my own, but thanks for some of the great Ideas.

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"Petrificus Totalis" Samuel fell backwards with a thud. Hermione always had her wand with her, too many bad things had happened at the most inopportune times for her to ever let her guard down. She reached over the edge of the tub and flipped him to his stomach so that he couldn't watch her when she got out of the bath. Moments later she stood next to him fully dressed, her wet hair dripping down the collar of her shirt making her cold. She wanted so badly to kick him in the ribs while he was laying there but she was a Gryffindor and that was a very Slytherin thing to do. She walked out of the bathroom and over to the fireplace. "Headmaster" She was shouting at the fireplace in her anger. Headmaster Fluten head appeared in the flames.

"Ms. Granger, how may I help you?"

"I need you to come into my rooms, there is a problem." He could see she was obviously angry. He stepped through immediately. When he saw her disheveled appearance he knew there was a problem.

"Hermione were you attacked?" He immediately took on a fatherly attitude.

"Not exactly. Come with me." She led him to the bathroom and opened the door, in the floor still stiff as a board on his face was Samuel Snape.

"Not again boy, what is your problem? You have been through every single magical school, and some muggle ones in Europe. Your father is going to have to send you to America." The Headmaster toed him onto his back and squatted down to look him in the eye. "You do know that you deserve this. You lucky she didn't turn you into something, like a newt." Hermione let out a snicker.

"I still could. What do you mean again?"

"Hermione could you release his mouth?" She waved her wand and Samuel began to move his jaw a little.

"Please don't call dad, he'll send me to the french foreign legion, he already told me." A tear slipped down his face.

"Samuel, I don't think the french have a foreign legion anymore. Your dad is just being dramatic. You've lived with him long enough you should know when he is joking. If you are so scared of what he is going to do why did you come down here?"

"I thought you were interested in me."

"I am, you are one of my students and a very bright one. You do this at every school?"

"Well, mostly. I ... I like you more than all the others." He grinned at her in his little boy way. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not jealous Samuel, but if you keep doing this then you have a problem that needs to be taken care of. Your father needs to understand that you need help, not a new school every semester. Headmaster Fluten will you please set up an appointment for Professor Snape, Samuel and myself?"

"Of course Ms. Granger, do you want me to tell him about the incident?"

"No, lets leave that till the meeting. Give him some reason that he will want to come."

"Very well, can you take this from here then?" He looked pointedly at the boy still frozen on the floor.

"Yes we will be fine. I think we are going to have a talk." The headmaster left and Hermione unfroze Samuel. She pointed to a chair in front of the fire. "Sit." He did as he was told and looked sheepishly toward Hermione.

"Hermione, I'm ..."

"It's Ms. Granger, I have never given you permission to call me by my first name. I know your father, and pretty well I might add. He would never raise his child to disrespect a teacher in such a way. I am so disappointed in you. What were you thinking?"

"You were being nice to me, dad said if a girl is nice to you then they like you, if they listen, and laugh at your jokes and pay attention to you then they like you."

"Do I look like a girl to you? I am a fully grown woman looking at a boy who is only a few years shy of possibly being my son." The irony of this conversation hit her like a ton of bricks and she had to sit down. The only man she ever had any interest in, that wasn't gay, was twenty years her senior. How could she possibly hope to ever ... no, she didn't want to think about it. She had to take a different tactic. "Tell me about the other times this had happened." He began talking and she realized that the story was pretty much the same every time. A single teacher heard about his situation, no mom, dad not the most caring person and took pity on him. They began to mother him, as most female teachers do anyway, and he took it the wrong way. This all stemmed from his mother and her death and Hermione had no idea how to handle it. He needed a counselor, someone who knew what to do, he also needed a strong female role model in his life. The way Snape moved him around it was no wonder he didn't know how to react to a woman. She knew he had been at Hogwarts for at least five years, why hadn't Mcgonagall stepped in as a role model.

"Samuel, how often did you see the staff at Hogwarts when you were there?"

"Oh hardly ever. Dad and I ate our dinner down in the dungeon, I never left his sight unless it was an emergency and those times I went to Dumbledore."

"Did you know the other staff members at all?"

"Only barely. Dad didn't want them spoiling me. He wanted me to be as normal as he could manage."

"So he kept you locked away in the dungeon. That makes sense. What kind of relationship did you and your mom have?"

"Oh we were friends, we went everywhere together, did everything together. She was really great. I have a hard time remembering her though. It's funny. Most things are very blurry."

"It's okay, that happens when you begin to grow up." Just then there was a resounding knock on Hermione's door. "That must be the headmaster to let me know when the meeting is." She walked over to the door and opened it. Professor Snape was waiting patiently on the other side.


	4. 4

"You really should ward your door better. I could have walked in with little or no effort. I thought little miss know it all would be able to put up wards." Snape walked into her room and looked around.

"I didn't think Vampires could enter without being invited." She stared at him daring him to say anything further.

"Excuse my rudeness Ms. Granger, may I come in?" He bowed deeply and made like he was removing a hat, the sarcasm was almost tangible. She walked by him and through her hand up in his face, a move she had learned from some of her American students. He stood staring at where her hand had been. She continued walking till she got to her favorite chair. She threw herself in it and swung her leg over the arm motioning for him to sit down. He stood of course. She had her back to him and he refused to move, so she began talking to the window while Samuel watched the power struggle from his front row seat.

"Mr. Snape, or is it still Professor?"

"You know it's Professor."

"Very well Professor Snape. We don't have to ward our doors here, usually. We have special wards on the students rooms so that they can not get out until morning. Your son found some way around them, not to mention the other problems. Your son has some serious issues and I think he needs to see a counselor. It seems that every time a female teacher bestows any affection on him he immediately takes it as a right to invade their privacy."

"Samuel, This means Military ..."

"Professor Snape this is mt room and you will listen to me until I am done." Hermione was loving the adrenaline rush from confronting Snape after all those times that she couldn't, but she had too remain focused.

"Ms. Granger I'm sure you have been looking forward to this for a long time ..." Hermione was livid. He was not going to treat her or Samuel like this. She through her legs around and stood to face him ... in his chest.

"Don't flatter yourself. This is not about you it is about Samuel and he does not need to be moved to another school. He needs help and he needs an understanding father. Now sit down and listen." She had poked him in the chest with her finger so many times that he had finally begun to back up. With her last words she pushed him with both hands catching his knees on the chair and forcing him to sit. With a wave of her wand there was a hot cup of tea in his hands and he just stared open-mouthed. She plunged right into the silence before he regained his sarcasm.

"You have done nothing but move Samuel from school to school, not even allowing him to go to Hogwarts, keeping him away from you and not dealing with him. He is your son, you need to know what's going on. He has self-esteem issues, mother issues, girl issues, hell the boy has subscriptions. He needs a female role model but more importantly he needs a good male role model. You are not doing your job dad! You need to get your hands dirty a little, you need to get them dirty a lot! You need to go to family counseling, you need to send him to counseling, and you need to take an active role in his education. You are being no better than the muggle parents who want nothing to do with their witch child's new education. You need to change who you are for your son. He is the best reason to change your ways. Now I will agree to be his female mentor so that you will not have to look for one if you agree to start taking an active role in your child's life. Agree?" She stuck her wand hand out making it a wizards binding agreement. He stared at her stone faced unable to talk. Finally he reached his wand hand forward to take hers. When they gripped hands a gold glow rose up from them. "Now I think that you two need to start off by having some father son time together." She walked to her door and opened it . They both stood and walked toward the door. "I will see you Samuel in class, no more sneaking out of bed. Professor Snape. She nodded her head and then shut the door. She immediately went to her quill and wrote Harry a note then she threw herself down in the bed.

Outside in the hallway two Snapes stood staring at a door.

"I think we might have found one this time." Samuel looked up at his Father.

"Told you." Snape smirked and they both turned and walked down the hall. 


	5. 5

Hermione sat and thought about her conversations with Samuel. 'He had said that his dad hadn't let him leave the castle, but the headmaster just said that he went to a bunch of different schools. I wonder what else that boy is lying about? Harry said he remembers the woman but doesn't remember the curse that brought her down. Snape threatened with military but the headmaster said America.' Hermione sat down and began what she was good at, research.

Four old friends met each other for lunch. Two light, two dark. They sat together in a crowded smokey restaurant and received many appreciative glances. 

"Well Severus, how goes the hunt?"

"It is going fine Lucious, how is your new job working out Draco?"

"I always enjoyed bossing people around, now I get to do it all day long. How is Samuel liking his new school?"

"Oh it's great, I might stay at this one." He smiled to him self.

"Do I hear a prospect?" Lucious eyed Snape cooly.

"Let's just say that there is a dark horse in the running. " Snape took a sip of his iced coffee. 'Cold and bitter just like me.' Snape smirked. 'I wonder what she thinks about me?' 

"What's gotten your interest brother?" 

"Just contemplating coffee ... and other stuff."

"I must know who this person is that she has caught your fancy so." Snape gave him a look that said 'no more.' "Fine can you at least tell me something about her?"

"All you need to know is that she fits the criteria almost perfectly."

"Almost? What is she missing, I hope it is not a crucial element?"

"Not crucial in my book, maybe in yours, you prejudice old coot." Snape knew that Lucious would get his meaning and Lucious's jaw dropped. His voice fell to a whisper.

"She's not pure blood? Are you mad? You are a Snape! You would never do this if your parents were still alive.' Lucious was beginning to get angry. Snape cut him off before he began his tirade.

"She's brilliant, beautiful and single. I know her well, she will be perfect, pureblood or not. You know wizards evolved out of the same primordial ooze as muggles. Go far enough back and you will find a muggle in everyone's history. She is just the beginning of a knew line of pureblood's, late to the evolutionary ball."

"Don't wax intellectual on the subject Severus. You know as well as I what pure blood means. However if you think this is the girl, then I will not question you any further. Just be sure you have the cause in mind and not ... something else. I trust your judgement, brother, that's not going to change now." Lucious had a slightly remorseful look on his face and Snape knew he was thinking about the war.

  
  
  
  


Lucious sat in his study listening to the conversation in the next room through a few well placed eaves-dropping charms. His two favorite ladies, if you could call his sister that, were in the next room. Narcissa in all of her feminine glory, pinky raised holding her tea cup, pink chiffon seemed to float around her. Flowers were everywhere and the scent of gardenias were heavy in the air. His sister sat across from her, Lucinda Malfoy, well now it was Snape, a blonde female version of her husband. Dressed in all black, drinking black coffee, hot, like her temper. She was sitting on the edge of a chaise lounge. She was leaning over, elbows on her knees, legs spread the way muggle men sit. Her coffee was in her hands clutched in the space between her knees. She was talking quietly about the upcoming attacks on various people, Narcissa was nodding politely, but actually more concerned that the crazy woman was going to get coffee on her ballet pink carpet. 

Lucious loved his wife but she cared none for the world outside her home. Draco and Lucious were her life. She doted and mooned over them, her only goal to make them happy. Draco never raised his voice to his mother else pay the penalty from his father, Lucious lavished her with attention and expensive gifts. She was his diamond, and he treated her as such, kept locked away in an impenetrable fortress, away from prying eyes and anything ... dirty. The only deatheater allowed to come into his home with his precious wife was Severus. His friend since before Hogwarts. He was older than Severus, much the same way as Draco and Samuel. The Malfoys and Snapes had been friends for hundreds of years. When Severus and Lucinda had been born with in a month of each other, the families took it as a sign. Luckily Severus had never minded. He had been infatuated with her since they were babies, and she with him. There was never a better match, until he turned.

That was what the conversation had turned to in the next room.

"Narcissa, can you believe that there is a spy amongst the ranks, you haven't heard Lucious mention anything about it have you?" 'So that's her angle, thinks she's going to get second hand information.' "It's not him is it?" Lucious was outraged, he would never betray the dark lord, no that was his best friends job. He was so angry at Severus. He couldn't believe that he would do it, but he couldn't tell on him. Severus had saved his life many times, and a couple from Voldemort himself. 

"No dear, you know your brother would never do that, he has been in the lords service longer than you. He is Voldemorts most trusted advisor. Lucious, Severus and you." He could hear Narcissa take a sip of her tea. Severus could not tell Lucinda that he had turned, she would tell and not think twice about it, even with little Samuel. He was currently with Severus doing father son things. Lucinda was growling. 

"I can't believe he left us to go work for that old fool. I know he is spying but it seems like he could have at least stayed with us."

"He is the head of Slytherin house, you should be very proud. He will be training all the children to follow in lord Voldemorts work." The conversation changed gears and went the way Narcissa wanted it to go. Lucious stopped listening. 'As long as she doesn't know, he's safe. The things I do for a friend.'

  
  


It was the day of the big battle. Voldemort had found a way to breach the wards around the castle and the deatheaters were going to apparate onto the grounds directly in front of the doors and attack. Lucious went into the parlour to make sure that Narcissa was safe. On the couch Narcissa had an unconscious Draco's head laying in her lap while she stroked his hair, he looked as if he had ben stunned. Lucious ran to the couch.

"What happened, why is he home, why didn't you come to me when it happened?"

"It just happened." She looked so sad Lucious began to worry more about her then Draco.

"What is it dearest? Why do you look so sad, I'm sure he is fine." He reached down and stoked the boys hair, and uncharacteristic show of attention toward his son for his wife's sake. She smiled up at him, he could still see the sadness in her eyes and barely registered the feeling in his side as a wand before he heard "exanima quietis."


	6. 6

Hermione was so glad that Haliburton was not limited electricity wise. She had a muggle studies club in the after noon, they spent all their time watching muggle movies. Mostly American, and suspiciously enough, all containing tall, dark and mysterious leading men. There was a lot of Tim Burtons work taking center stage. Today however they had gone back a little and were watching a silent film, The Perils of Pauline. So many cliches had come from this film and ingrained themselves into the muggle culture she felt it was an important movie to watch. When the villain appeared twirling his moustache Hermione couldn't help but think that Snape had looked surprisingly similar to him the other night. Except for the moustache they had the same identical devious look. Hermione began to wonder, then worry.  
  


When Lucious awoke he was lying on the second couch under his wife's watchful eye. Draco had come too and was drinking tea looking very meek with his head bowed and body language very closed off. He was ashamed of something and refused to meet his father's eye. Narcissa sat on the chaise, very pale and exhausted looking. Lucious could not be angry when she looked so sickly. He ran to her side and took her hand.

"Dearest, what has happened, you look ill." She turned her head and smiled at him. She laid her other hand on top of his and had to exhale from the exertion.

"Severus said it would be like this but he assured me that I would be alright."

"What does Snape have to do with this?!" The anger was barely contained in his voice. Narcissa patted his hand gently and his anger waned slightly. She went on to explain how she didn't want he ad Draco to be harmed in the battle. She had talked to Lucinda and Severus, she revealed the fact that she knew about Severus's duplicity, and he had assured her that no deatheater would be making it out alive. She believed him and he had trained her to do the spells that she needed. He took care of Draco and sent him home by way of floo and she had to put Lucious to sleep and be sure that he was asleep for awhile. 

"I know you are angry with me Lucious, just realize I did it because I love you and I wanted us to be together." Lucious laid his head in her lap, hoping for the first time that all the deatheaters and Voldemort had been killed because if they hadn't they would be coming for him next. He stood up only to sit on the edge of the chaise, then he leaned down and kissed her. He savored every moment, unsure of how much longer he would have with her.

"I could never be angry with you, but you may have put us all in worse danger. If any deatheaters survive they will come here for us. Let's go to the summer house just to be safe. We'll close the floo connection, only Severus will know where we are. Draco you go ahead and go, alert the house elves, your mother and I will be there soon." Draco stood and walked to the fireplace like a dog with his tale between his legs. He stepped in to the fireplace and disappeared. Lucious Helped Narcissa up from the chaise and began walking her over to the fireplace.  
  


Lucious and Draco bid Snape and Samuel farewell. Snape took Smauels hand and they apparated to the gates of Hogwarts to take Hermione up on the father son time. Lucious and Draco started walking. Once they were out of sight of anyone that mattered they stood closer together. Lucious draped his arm over his sons shoulder and they walked in companionable silence. Lucious never thought he would admit it, and he wouldn't out loud, but he was grateful for the death of Voldemort. If only they had gone somewhere else. 


	7. 7

Hermione went to bed that night with visions of heroic villains and dark mysterious strangers wreaking havoc on her libido. Not to far away a heroic villain was scheming just how he was going to do that as well as other things. In the next room over, the smaller version was dreaming of another woman. A woman who was beautiful and energetic in her sons eyes, a loving mother that would have done anything for him and her cause. A woman who murdered his aunt.

  
  


Lucious and Narcissa stepped from the fireplace into a disaster area. What was the formal living room was now sticks and rubble and in the center of it all was Lucinda Snape slowly strangling the life from her nephew. Lucious through himself at her knocking Draco free her wand falling to the floor. He put his wand to her throat. Narcissa ran to Draco. Lucinda and Lucious stood together from the rubble, the wand never leaving her neck.

"I knew it was you all along you traitor. The dark lord will torture you and your family."

"You are part of my family Lucinda, you know I would never betray the dark lord." She turned her ice blue eyes to him.

"Why were you not there then, you should be by his side right now witnessing the triumph. You are here hiding out like a coward. I am not part of your family, I am a Snape, and never have I been prouder to be one. My husband and child stood beside Lord Voldemort in your place. I only apperated to confirm our suspicions. I knew you would be here. The deatheaters don't know about this place, but I do. I knew, the callow traitor, hiding in his impregnable fortres. Unwilling to get his hands dirty. You have been supporting Dumbledore all these years haven't you?"

"No, I have." Severus stepped forward into the wrecked room, his wand held on Lucinda. She turned to him unwilling to believe. "I arranged it so that Lucious couldn't be there. His wife loves him and didn't want to see him harmed. You however, YOU had the audacity to bring our child into a war! You could have gotten him killed!"

"You put Samuel in the middle of a battle?" Narcissa had seen to Draco and hearing that a mother would deliberately put her child in harms way had her inflamed. Lucinda turned her death glare to Narcissa.

"He will ride on the shoulders of the victorious Voldemort before he will be harmed by the likes of Harry Potter. You always were too good to be part of the work. Too worried about getting your frilly pink dresses dirty, worried about what a deatheater would do to your carpet."

"You will not talk to my wife like that."

"After I kill your husband and your son, I will personally hand you over to the dark lord as a present. He will make sure you know your place, in the dirt kissing his boots."

"How dare you talk ..." 

"He's dead." The silence in the room was oddly loud. Everyone in the room looked at Severus. Lucious let his wand drop slightly, shocked by the news. "They're all dead. I helped kill them." Snape was the calm before the storm, Lucinda being the storm.

Lucinda broke free of Lucious's grasp and grabbed her wand. She began handing out Avada Kedavra like it was a Christmas present. In her anger and grief her aim was not as good and the spell went off into the air. Snape try to grab her from behind, when he did it only resulted in a more controlled curse aimed at Draco. Narcissa saw the perfect aim, Lucious heard the curse. In a brilliant flash of green two wives and mothers laid dead.

And three men cried.

A hundred miles and several years away, a boy cries for his mom.


	8. 8

The new student- 8

Hermione sat at her desk grading papers. The recent absence of Samuel had given her some time to think. Was she really serious about doing this with Severus, being his parenting co-partner? It seemed a really major thing to do for someone who used to, at one time, delight in tormenting her. She was certain that there was more too this. Too many things didn't add up, she didn't trust them or the situation. She turned to the one sorce of information that was always reliable. She owled Dumbledore.

  
  


"Are you interested in him?"

"Well I had a crush on him at school and I never really let that go, but I never really let the Harry thing go either."

"Well I can assure you that Severus is straight. He had something of a reputation back in school. The real argument that led to the werewolf episode was about Lilly and her, um ... connection to Severus. Don't press it I'm not telling you any more. Anyway, the thing was that he and Lucinda were really meant for each other, if it hadn't have been for Voldemort they would probably still be together." Hermione gave him a knowing look, he was avoiding the question. He cleared his throat. "Hermione, in all of your reading and research have you come across the idea of a matriarchal society?"

"Of course, most tribes long ago were matriarchal, I think the idea of a patriarchal society came around the times of the Greeks."

"Well as you probably know, pureblood wizard families have been around for even longer than that." Albus took a sip of his tea and looked over the edge at her. She looked slightly confused.

"Since Lucinda died there are no wives or mothers left in the purebloods."

"I always heard horror stories about how Slytherins treated their women."

"Well, some of that is true I'm sorry to say. However it is not the traditional pureblood families, the Snapes, Malfoys, Zambinis, plus the others that ou don't know. They go to Durmstraung mostly. And it is not their wives, daughters and mothers that are treated badly. Usually it will be some other, well I don't want to get into it, just ley me assure you that Narcissa and Lucinda were treated like queens in every respect because on some level they were."

"So what your telling me is that they want me to be their pureblood queen?" Hermione snorted to herself at the absurdity of it. 

"Yes." Hermione dropped her cup and Albus had his wand out and had levitated the mess before it even hit the ground. With a flick of his wand the cup was back on the platter with the tea safely inside.

"What?" Hermione was whispering, her eyes were huge and her hands were visibly shaking. She stood and began pacing. "Is that what they have been doing for the past few years? Transferring Samuel from school to school to find an appropriate wife? Does he not care enough about his son to not involve him in this sick twisted game. Do they not marry for love in pureblood families? What are they looking for? Someone to host tea parties or someone to make all of their decisions for them, or is it a figure head job, and why would the pick me? I'm not pureblood. I've been called mudblood a thousand times by Malfoy himself. I want to like Snape and Samuel but I can not like either of them knowing that they have been doing this over and over trying to find the one woman who wouldn't press charges. That's it isn't it? If I had done something about Samuel when he came into the bathroom, asking him to be expelled or whatever they would have left me alone. I had to go and be motherly and he pegged me as the next Mrs. Slytherin and now I am going to be stalked by the giant bat and his miniature double. How could he even think I would be the person for this job, he always hated me in school. I don't get it. So basically he has no feelings for me, and probably never will but he will marry me in order to uphold this weird slytherin tradition. Unless of course he wants me to marry someone else, Oh gods, he doesn't want me to marry Draco does he. I think I would rather marry Samuel, Oh I hope he doesn't want me to marry Samuel, I won't do it no matter what they say. But I hate to hurt Samuel like that. I don't mind hurting Draco or Snape and I don't even want to think about Lucious. That bastard should be in jail. I bet they will even want me to have a child won't they. Of course every marriage is suppose to produce a child. I bet they will want a girl too considering that there aren't any girls left. Wait what about Pansy Parkinson, she Slytherin. Why not her? Why me?!" Hermione through herself into the chair and screamed in frustration. "Sorry, I feel a little better now." She looked at Albus who looked very amused.

"Well, I will try to answer most of your questions. Pansy Parkinson is not a respectful woman in their eyes. If Samuel had hit on her she would've taken him to bed even at his age." Hermione shuddered. "The Slytherins are rooted in tradition. They thrive on it and yes a big part of it is that their mother figure dispenses advice and such. So they highly covet intelligence and wisdom." He shot Hermione a knowing look. "They want someone caring and compassionate, so the fact that you didn't prosecute Samuel in any way did help to get you on the top of their list. They want someone who is beautiful, so that yes, they can have beautiful children."

"Damn my devastatingly beautiful self, compassionate caring personality and overwhelming thirst for knowledge. I always knew they would be my undoing." Hermione cliched her fist and brought it down, mockingly in pain.

"You've started reading comic books haven't you?" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"I've done the entire library at school and Flourish and Blotts are having a hard time keeping up with my demand. The kids started giving me their comic books when they were through with them. She looked down and shook her head. "I know, sad." Albus laughed and shook his head.

"I peruse the occasional comic, don't feel bad. Back to the task on hand." Here he leaned forward toward Hermione. "Lucious and the other purebloods would never just agree to a muggle born." He looked at her meaningfully.

"I don't get you."

"Severus knows this, he wouldn't even have tried to talk to them about you, unless he is ... really ... interested."

  
  


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I was going to thank each of you individually, and I really should do that but as you may have noticed, I haven't had a chance to update because I haven't had a chance to type, so instead of thanking everyone individually, I'm going to work on all my stories! Thanks for all the great reviews! Keep them coming. I need the support. You guys are great!


	9. 9

The new student 9

A/N- I do not own JTHM, Noodle boy, Harry Potter or anything else that I might mention in my plethora of stories and random idea's. Just in case Jhonen Vasquez is reading this, I hope your left earlobe isn't vibrating.

  
  


Hermione sat at her desk leaning back in her chair, her feet propped on the desktop reading a comic that looked very disturbed. A row of knives were in the background and a fiercely thin man was in front of them holding his own knife in a threatening way. She was thoroughly engrossed in the rag turning it left and right. It was Tuesday, she had one less class on Tuesdays so she was taking the time to relax a little. Samuel had not returned on Monday and Hermione was trying to put it out if her mind. She had just gotten to the comic within the comic, supposedly drawn by Nny himself. Happy Noodle Boy, it was so ridiculous she couldn't help but laugh. By the end of the mini-comic she was laughing so hard she didn't notice that someone had come in.

"Everyone says I need a good laugh, maybe you should let me borrow that." Hermione jumped at the voice and her chair fell backwards on the floor.

"Oww! Godda... arnit." She crawled out from behind the desk rubbing her head. She turned her head to the side to look at the intruder. Severus Snape stood leaning against the door jam arms crossed with a smirk on his face.

"What do you want? Don't lie to me either, I know all about your little wife hunt, and frankly I'm disappointed and a little disgusted." She noticed that his confidence faltered for a second, but just a second. She crawled to the steps that led up to her desk and sat on the edge, still rubbing her head. He moved toward her and leaned over to look at the back of her head. She noticed that she could see her reflection in his shoes, 'Damn I look rough today.'

"You're going to have a knot back there." He stood up and took something out of his pocket, he leaned back over and she felt something cool on the spot where her head hurt. He twisted his body around and sat beside her his hand still holding the coolness in place. "You are still a stupid little girl sometimes. Hold this." Hermione reached her hand up and found that it was an ice-cloth. A little invention of Severus's that had come in very handy man times in the Hospital wing.

"Do you always carry medical supplies around with you?" Hermione moved the cloth and winced when she touched the bump.

"Keep the cloth on there." He put his hand on top of hers and put the cloth back on her head. She relished the warmth of his touch. "I'll start carrying an entire hospital with me if I'm going to see you more often." He took his hand away. She looked at him and noticed that the closed look was gone and for once he looked pleasant.

"What makes you think I am going to let you see me?" Hermione looked down at the floor.

"If you don't, I'll tell your headmaster that you have a violent streak, really Ms. Granger, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac? What kind of Muggle trash is this?" She looked over at him to see him flipping through her comic.

"It's Albus's muggle trash."

"Should've known. So I guess he is the one that let you in on the little secret?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, and I am appalled. Sending Samuel around from school to school to mom hunt? That's wrong, even for you."

"What's that suppose to mean? Even for me? You sem to think I am somehow below other people."

"No just willing to stoop lower, I mean you are the person who said he saw no difference in my teeth when they were down to my chin." She subconsciously sucked her teeth.

"You really know how to hold a grudge."

"You have no idea." She handed him the cloth. "Here, the cold is gone, that means it's better right?"

"Yeas Ms. Granger astute as ever."

"You know you should market those. We could really use them here. We have a lot of fights."

"You mean dueling? In the halls?"

"No I mean fights, fist fights. These students are more aggressively based than those at Hogwarts. Hogwarts students are more magically based. I doubt hardly any of the Hogwarts students have had to go through what these kids have, except maybe Harry." Severus groaned.

"Don't tell me you are still one of his little disciples?"

"I was never a disciple. I was and am a friend. He works in the area, he is the school medi-wizard."

"Oh so you and he are still a couple then." Severus brought his shields back up and closed off again. Hermione hated to see that. Still she laughed, everyone had thought she and Harry or she and Ron would end up together.

"Harry and I were never an item Severus. Harry is happily Gay." Severus looked questioningly at her.

"Happily happy?" Hermione remembered that muggle slang doesn't always crossover to the wizard world.

"Gay as in homosexual Severus, you really need to get out of that dungeon sometime."

"That must be why everyone was snickering in the staff room." Hermione looked at him questioningly. "We have a new DADA teacher, of course, and they asked me what I thought of him. In my usual tone,"

"Sarcasm?"

"What?"

"Sarcasm, isn't that your usual tone?"

"Sarcasm isn't a tone, this isn't the point you are straying from the story, I said in my usual way, that he was a perfectly gay fellow."

"You do realize that he is going to end up leaving because of rumors that he is gay."

"Well, I think he might actually be gay, I believe he was coming on to me the other day, now that I realize my faux pas. He sat next to me at the table and was whispering something about me knowing his secret and that I must know from experience." He shook his head.

"Now you've done it, the Slytherins are going to get their queen alright, drag queen." Hermione laughed at her own, bad joke until she realized that she had lost Severus again. "Aww, nevermind. Why are you here anyway?"

"Trying to court you."

"Well you suck at this."

"What happened to the perfect Ms, Granger, perfect grammar and annunciation? You are beginning to sound uneducated."

"I teach kids, many from America, that have bad grammar, among other things. Sometimes to bring them up to our level, we have to go down a bit. I haven't forgotten my training, I just need to be more down to earth around here. I'm sure Ron would've appreciated that back then."

"Well what has happened to Mr. Weasley? Is he Mr. Potters boyfriend? He always was stuck up his arse." Hermione playfully smacked Severus in the arm.

"No he ran away screaming when he found out, literally. We haven't seen him since." She realized she was enjoying this relaxed Snape. He seemed younger, easier to connect to. "Is this and act?"

"What ?"

"Is this an act? This boyish care free fun guy I see. Or is that what you are using to lure me into doing this ... thing. I'm not sure who the real you is and where the other Snape starts. The angry, resentful, bitter old man who tormented my friends and I through school. The man who was trying to trick me into becoming the new queen of the Slytherins. I'm not sure what is real and what is you." Snape stood and Hermione felt that if he had a hat he would have slammed it onto his head.

"Excuse me Ms. Granger, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I can see that our past situations are going to affect this too much. I really do not want to switch Samuel's school again so if you could see fit to teach him to the best of your knowledge, you will be having no more problems from him or me." He walked out of the class room and Hermione sat stock still, completely confused at the sudden turn of events. 


	10. 10

Chapter 10

"Do you think it's possible to hurt Snape's feelings?" Hermione sat across from Harry at their local dive drinking some awful concotion that made them feel less sorry for themselves.

"You're joking right? I've never thought of him as human much less as having a heart or feelings. That's just kinda creepy. What's this all about?"

"I think I hurt his feelings the other day." Harry's eyebrows shot up and he almost spit out the sip he had just taken.

"Would you like to tell me about this?" Harry loved a bit of gossip, especially now that he wasn't the one being gossiped about. He scooted his seat closer to her.

"We were having the best conversation, it was light and witty, with a good measure of sarcasm, then I messed it up by accusing him of ulterior motives." Hermione launched into the story from the beginning, wrapping it up with his surprise visit.

"Well, I really don't see where he could be too angry with you, I mean, he's Snape. He realizes that." Harry chuckled into his glass, "I mean what did he expect? An open legs invitation?" Hermione hit Harry and mocked outrage, but couldn't help laughing herself. "Listen Hermione, all kidding aside, think about what he said. He's leaving Samuel at Halliburton. He's not looking anymore."

"Yeah, I'm sure I was his last chance."

"Or the only chance he wanted."

  
  
  
  


Hermione gathered her nerve and her towel and walked up to the boys dormitory in the Gandit house. There were quite a few cat calls from the braver seventh years that new her well. She ignored them and kept walking. She took a deep breath and knocked. Samuel opened the door and his jaw dropped. His teacher was standing in front of him in a muggle style bathing suit complete with see through sarong. A group of guys had crowded around to admire her. She whipped her head around and gave them her not-so-patented death glare. They all backed off remembering who this was and that she graded their papers. She turned back to Samuel who was eyeing her cleavage that the bikini top showed off. 

She cleared her throat, "Uh hum, eyes please." Samuel's eyes traveled back up to her face. "Grab your swim suit, we're going somewhere special. I'll be waiting at the main doors. I'll give you five minutes." She turned and left chanting her current mantra in her head. 'Please let this work, please let this work.'

Samuel came out of his state of shock and ran to the floo. "Severus Snape." Samuel saw his dad's head come into the flames. "Dad, Ms. Granger is taking me swimming or something. She just came up here almost naked holding a towel, told me to grab my swim suit." Snape's eye's almost rolled in the back of his head at the thought of Hermione in a skimpy little swim suit floating on her back in a crystal lake. "Dad, stop drooling! What do I do?"

"Don't be stupid boy, grab something to swim in and go. I'll be waiting at the gates of Hogwarts." He was gone. Samuel felt a little cheated at the thought that his dad just expected him to come get him. Of course he had to remember that Hermione wasn't interested in him, except possibly as a son. He grabbed his swim trunks, which were very much like muggle ones, with a few special exceptions.

  
  
  
  


Samuel ran down the stairs bare chested and his towel thrown over his shoulder the way he had seen Hermione do. She was waiting for him just outside the doors being worshiped by the sunlight. She had donned a pair of sunglasses and her hair was swept up away from her face in a nice way, rather than her usual skin tightening bun. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned her face to him.

"So where is he meeting us?" 'Please let this work.'

"How did you know I would call him?"

"I know him" She leaned closer to Samuel, "and you."

  
  


"He said he'd be waiting at the gates, of Hogwarts." Hermione smirked, he hadn't come to Halliburton because he knew where she was going. Without another word they walked to the apparation point. She took Samuels hand and he smiled at her, then they were gone.


	11. 11

I realize it has been forever since I updated, but I am still working diligently on these fics. I will not leave them forever.

The new student-11

"Well, come on then." She tried not to show her shock at the sight in front of her and played it off with coy indifference. It was obvious however, that he knew he was a fine specimen. It was as if the cloaks were a horrible, horrible joke and this was the punch line. The well defined but not overly muscular chest with the fine dusting of black hair that thickened up at his belly button that you could clearly see, because his black shorts were slung low on his hips. The shorts, which when in the right light, had an embossed Celtic snake design that seemed to move and came down to the tops of his knees leaving a pair of pale, but also well-defined calves, covered in black hair.

Hermione took all this in, in a single glance and walked toward Hogsmead knowing that the "Boys" would be following her.

Albus never told anyone how this place got here, but it definitely didn't belong. Off to the left behind a grove of tree's and on the other side of a very large rock was a water wonderland, complete with grotto, hot spring and waterfall. There was no one here today, which wasn't odd, not many people knew about it. Like the room of necessity, you only found it when you knew about it.

Hermione forgot all about the guys for a minute. She loved swimming and diving and all things water, so her first action was to climb to the top of the rock and dive into the deep pool. When she came up everything was silent, she was worried that the guys had left, but instead found them standing on the edge of the pool worriedly looking in.

"Looking for something?" Snape immediately wiped the scared look of his face and replaced it with one of his ten basic teacher looks, this time it was sneer.

"Only foolish children jump off rocks, are you a foolish child Ms. Granger?"

"I guess so. Are you chicken?" She knew he couldn't back down from a challenge and nearly laughed when she saw the look of worry cross his face followed by steely determination. He stomped off toward the rock and she and Samuel waited. When at the top he stood looking into the water, Hermione considered calling him back down. She realized how scared she was now watching him at that height preparing to jump. Unfortunately she waited a second too long and he had already jumped when she felt her voice rising in her chest and her mouth opening to call him. His body jerked at the sound of her voice, turning to look at her.  
  


Hermione sat next to his bed in the hospital wing, waiting for him to wake up. Tears ran unabashedly down her cheeks and Samuel was sitting in a chair at the foot of his bed fidgeting and looking very scared and anxious.

"He's going to be fine Sam, I promise." Samuel looked up at her, his eyes red from the unspilled tears.

"My mom's the only person who ever called me Sam." As if on cue a tear ran down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"No, it's ok. I don't mind when you do it." He gave her a weak smile. She motioned for him to sit next to her and he scooted his chair over.  
  


When Snape woke up he felt something in his hand, he turned his head to look down and felt the headache but the pain was quickly replaced by something close to happiness at what he was seeing. In his hand was Hermione's, she was sitting in a chair next to his bed and fell asleep holding his hand, the chair next to hers was occupied by his son's lower half and Hermione's lap was occupied by his upper half. Hermione's fingers still resting in his hair. He had a mental image of Hermione humming a tune while stroking Samuel's hair and holding his hand watching Samuel fall asleep and then following herself. Unfortunately the need for a restroom was greater than the comforting sight in front of his eyes. He deftly wrenched his hand out of hers and fumbled to the loo.

When he returned he tried to resume the same position, taking Hermione's hand in his.

"I thought you were trying to get away from me." A whispered voice came from the seemingly sleeping person. She opened one eye and looked at him, then grinned, still whispering she turned slightly to look directly at him. "How are you getting on?"

"Oh, swimmingly." Hermione grinned at the pun. "I'm fine, just a headache."

"Oh, yes, Madame Pomfrey asked me to give this to you when you woke up." She handed him a vial full of purple goo. He downed it quickly and laid back on the pillow feeling the pain subside. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Pain is good for one thing, it makes you realize that a normal day is a good one." Hermione found herself staring at his lips. Without thinking she moved her hand to his cheek, turned his face toward her and lowered her lips to his. It was a chaste kiss, but sweeter than any other kiss she had ever had. She pulled back and looked into his now open eyes. It seemed an eternity that she fell through the bottomless pit of his eyes, but when she felt Samuel stirring, she pulled herself away.

"Sam, your dad is awake." She gently shook his shoulder and didn't notice the look that crossed Snape's face at the use of the nick-name. Samuel sat up rubbing his eyes and looked at his dad. In a moment of pure childish indulgence Samuel threw himself on his father and began crying. Snape, feeling a little uncertain, awkwardly pat his back.

"Samuel, what is it?" Samuel pulled himself up, teary eyed and looked at his dad.

"I was so worried, I lost mom and I then I thought what would happen to me if I lost you and then I started to think about everything we haven't done and I got really scared. I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for Sam. You were worried and scared. It makes perfect sense." She looked at Snape to convey the message that this was not the time for his particular brand of compassion. "What say, we go get some dinner? I'm sure the house-elves would be happy to get us some food."

"Ms. Granger, you are willing to use those poor house-elves to get food. You slave driver." Snape smirked at her remembering S.P.E.W.

"Well, I could leave you here all by yourself." She lifted an eyebrow and gave him one of his own looks. She and Samuel got up to leave.

"Just wait a minute, let me put some real clothes on." He got out of bed, wearing a pair of pajama's. He pulled his shirt off and gasped. Hermione turned to see a long cut on his shoulder. She remembered seeing blood when she levitated his body to the castle and assumed that was where it had come from.

"Sam, go on down to the kitchens and get some food, we'll be down soon." She smiled at him and he gave her a quick hug then left the room. She went to Snape and tried to help him.

"I can do it myself woman. I have had much worse than this." She didn't back down and continued helping him taking his shirt off.

"Yes, I know, I was here for much of it, but that was years ago. You haven't had to do this in a while and I would like to help you." She made sure that the cloth didn't touch his cut and lifted the shirt off of him. She grabbed the medicinal supplies from the table and cleaned the cut. "I wonder why Madame Pomfrey didn't heal this?"

"My skin doesn't take to well to magical healing. If it's not a life threatening cut she usually lets it heal by itself." Hermione put a clean dressing on it then smoothed her hands over his shoulders. He turned to her and put his hands on her waist, looking into her eyes again. "I think you just want to see me shirtless." She grinned.

"Wouldn't you take the chance to see me topless if you could?" He growled down at her and lowered his head claiming her lips in a less chaste kiss.


End file.
